After building two public companies, Phil Becker was enjoying retirement, but like all serial entrepreneurs, he was unwittingly vulnerable to new ideas. That's when he saw the light--that digital identity would be the key to unlocking and managing virtually every application of computers. With strong backgrounds in both media/communications and computer/Internet technology, Phil launched a web site, a newsletter, a trade show, and now a hardcopy magazine, all named Digital ID World.

Coming off the heels of a successful second Digital ID World conference, Phil gives his perspective on digital ID. What is it? Why is it so important? Where is it going?

In this IT Conversation, Phil explains the difference between "identity management" and "management by identity" and how digital ID has moved beyond rudimentary single sign-on (SSO) into federation across administrative and corporate boundaries. Topics in this interview include the Liberty Alliance, SAML, privacy regulation, the role of digital ID in security, and the identity of "things," not just people. Phil also looks to the future, discussing the role of trust ("it can't be built, manufactured, or bought"), and standards ("we're compressing a four- to six-year process into three years").